Abuzar Ahmad was shot in a Taliban attack that killed his parents and siblings. The 2-year-old boy is expected to arrive in Toronto later today to begin a new life in Canada.

Six weeks after surviving a Taliban attack on a Kabul hotel that left his father, mother, brother and sister dead, miracle child Abuzar Ahmad arrives in Canada to start his life anew (Duration 00:30)

WAKIL KOHSAR / AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Abuzar Ahmad, the youngest son of slain Afghan AFP reporter Sardar Ahmad, plays during a visit by his uncle Bashir Mirzad (right) and AFP bureau chief for Pakistan-Afghanistan Emmanuel Duparcq (centre) at a local hospital in Kabul on April 6, 2014.

A toddler who was shot in a Taliban attack that killed his parents and siblings was expected to arrive in Toronto late Wednesday evening to begin a new life in Canada.

Abuzar Ahmad, 2, was with his family at the Serena Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 20, when four young men smuggled in pistols and ammunition. His father, Sardar Ahmad, was a senior correspondent for AFP and a well-known figure in Afghanistan’s political and journalism communities.

Ahmad, his wife and two of their children — a 6-year-old and 4-year-old — were among nine people killed before the attackers could be subdued. The Taliban claimed responsibility.

Miraculously, Abuzar survived, despite being hit five times.

“Right away, I decided I will go and by the next day I had booked my flight,” said his uncle, 39-year-old Bashir Mirzad, who owns a sign-making business in Whitby.

The family then set in motion a plan to bring Abuzar to Canada. Doctors placed Abuzar under the care of his 25-year-old cousin, Turaj Rais, and his wife, with whom the 2-year-old was familiar. Mirzad left Afghanistan last week, returning to Canada to make preparations for Abuzar’s arrival.

Mirzad said he was struck by the outpouring of respect for his late brother, whose death was mourned by journalists and high-ranking government officials alike.

He and Sardar were close — the pair lived together before Mirzad came to Canada.

“We, day and night, were together,” said Mirzad. “He was not only a brother, he was a good friend.”

Even when Sardar was in Afghanistan and Mirzad in Canada, the two talked daily. Now, Mirzad hopes Abuzar can achieve the same success in life as his father.

“He was a great man. He was a very intelligent man. He was very good in his job. He was just everything to us,” said Mirzad. “Not only me, but all members of the family were trying to do their best to make Abuzar another Sardar for us. Hopefully he will be even better than Sardar.”

Mirzad praised the efforts of the Canadian government, which he said assisted in bringing Abuzar to Canada. He said officials helped arrange the flight and expedited the process, though the citizenship status of the boy is still unclear.

“For the time being, we don’t know about that one. But that he’s coming right now is a big, big happiness,” said Mirzad. “We’re thankful to everyone, especially to the Canadian embassy in Afghanistan.”

Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development refused to comment and redirected a reporter to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, who insisted that Abuzar’s legal guardian needs to sign a permission form before the department can discuss his case. Abuzar’s legal guardian is now Rais, who is on the flight to Toronto with him.

When reached by email, Alexis Pavlich, press secretary for Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, did not speak specifically about the role of the Canadian government in bringing Abuzar to Canada. Alexander worked as a diplomat for 18 years, including working in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2009.

“The brazen and cowardly attack on the Serena Hotel on March 20 that killed 9 people, including two Canadians and Abuzar Ahmad’s family, was a tragedy,” said Pavlich.

The child was flying to Toronto in the care of Rais and his wife, who have been acting as guardians and will continue to do so here.

“Everybody hopes for him to have the best in the future. He will be free to grow and the treatment will be better than Afghanistan, of course,” Mirzad said. “He will have a family environment because we are a big family in Toronto.”

Mirzad has arranged an apartment for the group in a Scarborough building where several other family members also live.

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